Deborah Anne Carey
by Aphrodite Goddess of Love
Summary: Dynah and Joe are married. But still raising a child and being in college is trying on both of them.**Cut off from his parents, James must find the girl he raped and make amends, before his parents turn him in** When worlds collide what's left of Dynah?
1. Authors Tad bit

This is a fanfic for 'The Atonement Child' by Francine Rivers. But they didn't have that category. So since The O'Malley series is by another Christian author, Dee Henderson. I was hoping you guys wouldn't mind… They're both Christian authors, but Francine's are just a bit deeper.


	2. A new beginning

I am getting married to Joe. Finally after a three month engagement, we are getting married. It took me a few minuets to decide who all to invite and yes, Ethan was on the list. I had all of my family and his family, people from back at college and people from home. All of our close friends were invited and the girls in my bible study group. I knew that as soon as I sent an invitation out to Joe's parents his mom would fly out here to help with the wedding. She was an amazing woman. And once she met my mother there would barely be anything left for me to do with my wedding. It was to be in another two months. We couldn't wait to be married, but I want Deborah to be a little older than three months if I have to leave her behind with family or Anita. Joe was as in love with Deborah as he was with me and she was perfect. Which was amazing since as soon as Ethan had found out I was pregnant from rape he'd been so distant…

Joe was in class right now and Deborah was sleeping in her basinet, so I was writing as many addresses as I possibly coulee in the given time. Mom had printed out all of the invitations and I was only allowed to write the addresses on the envelopes. It gave me something to do other than work out with my trainer. In order to fit into my dream wedding dress I had to lose all of the baby weight that I had gained in my pregnancy with Deborah. Joe had a friend of a friend who was a personal trainer so I was working with her to get in shape for my wedding. And I couldn't complain since it was fun getting to know her and her triplets. She was a Christian mother and a personal trainer. Within moments of meeting her she was on my hero list. Joe found that humorous.

I sat up and stretched, then checked on Deborah to make sure she was still breathing. I was just a bit paranoid about SID's. Maybe in a couple years when she was older, Joe and I would have our own baby to keep her company. I smiled thinking of the many little ones running around our house. Joe had picked out a wonderful home nearby that we would move into as soon as we were married. Both of our parents had pitched in and helped us by the house, especially Joe's parents. They were contributing to us as much as possible. They didn't know that we were getting married yet, but they helped to buy the house as soon as Joe asked them to.

I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. I took a sip and set the cup down onto the counter. I walked into my room and laid out an outfit for lunch. Then I went back into the kitchen and brought my glass of water out into the front room and set it on the desk beside the stack of envelopes. I had a pre-packed diaper bag by the basinet and the stroller was folded up by the door ready to go. Sometimes I took Deborah out in her stroller with me when I went jogging in the morning. I was always stopped by one of Joe's or my friends wanting to take a quick peek at Deborah. She had so many friends her already and she was barely three months old. It helped that I could relate to a lot of the other girls and young mothers on campus.

I sat back down on the desk chair and began to write Ethan's address on the next envelope.


	3. Bible Study

As I finished the last invitation and I slid it in the already marked and stamped envelope, I heard Joe's feet on the pavement as he walked to his dorm. I set the invitation in the pile with the others and made a mental note to mail them out later. I stood up just as the door knob twisted. Joe came in and closed the door, then he smiled when he saw me.

"Did you get them all finished yet?" he asked me, "Yes and Deborah slept through the whole thing." I said, he walked over to me and kissed my forehead. "Are you ready for lunch? We can eat out, stay here or go to the cafeteria." Joe offered. "I want to go to the cafeteria, maybe we can find Anita." I said. Joe smiled.

I had met Anita my first weekend here when Deborah was barely a week old and we had quickly become friends. Anita and Adam are Christian's and I quickly found myself telling her my whole story. From meeting Ethan to getting raped, to almost killing myself and moving back home, and eventually deciding to keep Deborah and asking Joe to marry me. Anita had been enthralled with my life story and told me here's which wasn't as bad as mine. But she had grown up in a non-Christian family and did some terrible things before she met Adam. Adam was already a Christian and soon converted or helped to convert Anita and eventually asked her to marry him. Anita was eager to help me with my wedding preparations. Having been married recently, she was giving me the best help ever. She told me that it would be a stressful two weeks before the wedding, but with a huge smile and a promise to help.

"Do you want me to put Deb into her stroller?" Joe asked. I looked over at her, her little hand unclenched from the rattle and moved up to her mouth. "Yes, but would you check her diaper first?" I asked him. "Yes of course, you go get ready Dynah." he told me. I hurried to my room and pulled on a comfortable pair of jeans and a tee shirt, I still hadn't lost all of the weight from my pregnancy. I slipped on a pair of flip flops and hurried back out.

I leaned against the door frame and watched Joe carefully and swiftly, pull a pink dress over Deborah's head and slip a pair of matching booties onto her feet. Then he picked her up and placed her in the stroller. Joe turned back around and grabbed a ready to go diaper bag, a couple bottles, and a pacifier and turned to put them in the stroller. I came in and said "You're a perfect daddy, Joe." he looked up at me. "And you're a very beautiful mother Dynah," he smirked and came over to me. I couldn't help but grin as Joe slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight to him. I reached up behind him and tangled my hands in his hair. Joe bent down and kissed me.

When Joe released me, I walked over and pushed the strolled over to the door. He opened it and we walked out into the sunlight. "May you pull her shade up?" I asked Joe. He moved over to the front of the stroller and pulled the shade up over Deborah's face. Just in case she woke up, I didn't want the sun to hurt her perfect, little eyes. Joe slipped his hand in mine and we walked over to the cafeteria.

Just as I had hoped, Anita and Adam were waiting for us outside of the mess hall. Anita came rushing over to us, "Is Deborah asleep?" she asked, peering into the stroller. "Yes, but you may holder her." I said. Anita smiled up at me and reached in to un buckle my baby. She lifted Deborah out of the stroller and cradled her in her left arm while grabbing the blanket with her other one. Anita folded the blanket in half and swung it over her left shoulder. Joe moved on ahead to open up the door and I laughed with Anita. "Have you been able to convince Adam to let you have a baby yet?" I asked her, she smiled "No, we've only been married for a little over a year now. He insists that we wait until at least one of us graduates from college." she said, a little sadly. "Well you could always come over and steal Deborah." I offered, by this time we had made it to the door. Adam slipped his arm around his wife's waist and Joe took the stroller to park it at a nearby table.

"Thanks, Dynah for letting her steal Debbie all of the time. She's been begging me for a baby for as long as I can remember." Adam said, looking down, lovingly at Anita and Deborah. "No problem. If I thought you guys could deal with it, I'd have no problem leaving her with you two when we go on our honeymoon." I said. Anita looked over at me with a new light in her eyes. "Really Dynah? You'd only have to leave enough breast milk to last us while you're gone and we can feed her formula if we run out and-" Joe cut her off. "Dynah's still not positive whether or not she wants to leave Deborah behind yet. She is still so tiny and growing all of the time but…" he let it hang there. "Joe's right." I said, "But I will definitely consider it." I added.

"Grab me a plate of food, Adam." Anita said, sitting down at the table, with Deborah. A couple other girls from the bible study that I was doing came over and sat with Anita. Anita and I had started a bible study for young unmarried girls at this college. We met on the weekends when I came here and we were encouraging them to get married to their boyfriends and reading the bible and parenting books with them. It took a little time, but I ultimately ended up telling them how I had Deborah. Not for pity or anything, just to encourage them that it would be safer for them to get married rather than have to deal with people encouraging them to have abortions and such. I smiled to myself and got in line with the boys.

"What's so funny?" Joe asked me, handing me a plate. I nodded my head over in the direction of the table. A few of the other girls had their own babies with them and Joe smiled knowingly. "You like your little family that you've started?" he asked me. "I love them Joe, each and every one of these girls has come from terrible families, or abusive boyfriends. And each week I get to meet with them and tell them about God and as each new girl comes in I retell my story which makes it a little bit easier. But I feel like I have another family, a whole bunch of girls that are new Christians. You can see it in their faces when they come to know him Joe. You can see as they begin to change and there's a glow around them." I sighed and scooped some food onto my plate. I felt Joe kiss my hair and slip his arm around me.


	4. An Invitation

Ethan walked across the street to his P.O box to grab the mail. The fraternity boys were getting excited since it was the weekend and Ethan just needed a little bit of time to relax before calling Karen up and maybe taking her out to lunch. Ethan smiled to himself as he pulled his key out of his pocket and slid it into his box. He twisted the key and opened the door up, retrieving his mail.

Right off the bat Ethan noticed a rather nice envelope with familiar hand writing on the front of it. It was addressed to both him and Karen. Ethan scanned through the rest of his mail, there was no letter from Joe. But there hadn't been for a few months so Ethan wasn't worried. Maybe he would call him up tomorrow and see how things were going at UC Berkley.

Ethan walked back over to his fraternity and paused in the front room long enough to drop off the newspaper, before heading up to his room. Ethan placed everything on his desk and smiled at the picture of Karen right after he had proposed to her. He dusted the already clean frame off and sat down on his bed.

Ethan opened the fancy envelope and two other slips of paper fell out. One was directions to a church and the other was an invitation. Ethan opened the invitation, with a growing dread inside of his stomach. The inside read as follows:

**You are formally invited to the wedding of:**

**Joseph Andrew Guillerno & Dynah Michelle Carey**

**Sunday, June 22nd, 2012 at 1:30p.m. At Gracepoint, in Berkeley.**

**Reception will follow outside of the church. Please RSVP! Call number below.**

Ethan re-read the invitation before looking down at the number that he already knew by heart. Joe was getting married to Dynah. Ethan didn't know how he felt about that. Joe was his best friend, right? Why didn't he hear about this earlier? Ethan picked up his phone to call Joe's cell. Joe didn't answer and Ethan thought about leaving a message until he heard Joes voice mail.

_**"Hey, this is Joe." "And I'm Dynah." "Sorry that we weren't able to answer the phone, classes, bible studies, and the wedding has us running around-"**_ Joe said _**"Like a chicken with its' head cut off!"**_ Dynah cut in, Joe chuckled, _**"Anyway, leave your name and number and we'll get back to you soon." "God bless!"**_Dynah said.

Ethan hung the phone up and closed his eyes. The wedding invitation was for both him and Karen so Joe must talk to someone on campus to know that he was dating someone else now. It would be rather hard for Ethan to narrow down the amount of people that knew both him and Joe well enough.

Ethan sighed.

How could Joe get married to Dynah? Why would he do that? His best friend was getting married to his ex-fiancé, a few months before Ethan himself was getting married. He could understand Joe getting married after all of this time, but to Dynah of all people? "Why God? Why is this happening?" Ethan asked aloud. He knew that he didn't love Dynah anymore. But it still hurt to know that she was getting married to someone else. Especially since that someone else was his best friend. Karen would be excited about going to a wedding. She knew all about Joe and Dynah, she had not met Joe yet… but this would present a nice opportunity for her to meet him. Ethan wondered again if Dynah had kept the baby or if she had given it up to adoption. The last he had heard was that she was keeping it. It, that's what he would be calling it. Ethan set his phone down and paced his room waiting for Joe to call him back. The invitation must have been sent probably three days before, to get to him at this time.

Ethan picked up the rest of his mail and read through it all disposing what he thought he should. All the while casting glances over at his phone. Finally he picked it up again and dialed Karen's number. "Hey baby." Karen's warm voice came over the phone. "Hi Karen, you'll never believe what I just got in the mail." Ethan began


	5. AN

Hey, sorry my laptop crashed and I'm working on getting everything back.


	6. Joe's perfect girls

I woke up earlier than Joe for once in my life and slipped out of the dorm to go get the mail. I had 25 yes's so far, no one had refused. True to what we thought. Joe's mama was flying out here tomorrow and we were going to go pick her up from the airport. Last week when we sent out the invitations she had called a few days later and planned to fly down on the weekend that I would be there so she could meet all three of us at the same time. Then when the weekend was over she would come stay with me at my parents house. So I drove up on Wednesday night to be there Thursday and get the dorm ready for his momma.

I walked down to the end of the dorms and out onto the street, checking both ways before crossing to the P.O box. I nodded to Janet as she passed by out on her daily run. I pulled the key ring out of my pocket and unlocked the door, swinging it open to get out the mail. I flipped through the monthly wedding magazine that Anita and I had ordered, as I walked back to the dorm.

Joe was still sleeping and I decided to have breakfast made for him when he got up. It would be an interesting change in his plans to have me take care of him today. I strolled into the kitchen area and opened the refrigerator. Joe had stocked it for the weekend, yesterday, so I knew that I had a good many things to choose from. I pulled out a carton of orange juice and a couple bananas, and I set them down on the counter beside the blender. I haven't had a good, homemade smoothie in a long time. I blended what I had then added in a few strawberries and a basket of raspberries. I glanced behind me at a noise, afraid that Joe was going to wake up too early. But it was just my cell phone vibrating in my bag half way across the front room.

I sighed and set my finished smoothie in the fridge before going to get my cell phone.

_1 Missed call from: Ethan, 08:34a.m._

I re-read the message. Why would Ethan call me, when Joe's cell was on all of the invitations? I heard Joe move around in his room and then start talking and figured Ethan had tried calling him instead. I crossed over to peek in the basinet and check on Deborah. Then I went back into the kitchen to finish making breakfast.

I was cleaning up the kitchen when Joe walked in, his hair was all ruffled up, but he was dressed up for the day. And he was talking on the phone. But he came over and kissed me on the forehead anyway.

"Of course you'll be in the wedding, but Karen… We don't really know her that well and Dynah has all of her girls already picked out. They've gone to multiple dress fittings and such already." Joe said. He mouthed 'Ethan' to me as he sat down and I went to get Deborah.

She was already awaking and looking around the room, her big blue eyes lit up when she saw me and she cooed. I picked her up, "Let's go beautiful, it's time for breakfast." I whispered. I took her back to my room and changed and dressed her, then I grabbed my nursing blanket and carried her into the kitchen/dining room. I heard Joe laugh and hoped that everything had gone well with Ethan. Joe pulled out my chair for me when I came into the room and I sat down to feed Deborah. I drank my smoothie while listening to Joe talk with Ethan and mentally planned the rest of the day. Anita would be coming over soon after Joe left and we had to schedule a meeting with my other bridesmaids for their last dress fittings.

Joe covered the receiver and turned to me. "Do you want me to tell him about Deborah?" "I think he can wait and see her at the wedding. She's so perfect that when he sees her he'll fall head over heels for her and won't even mind carrying her down the isle." I answered. Joe smiled and tickled Deborah's toes. "You sure you don't mind me being gone today?" he asked. "Yes, Anita's coming over and you need to finish figuring things out with Ethan." I said. Joe turned back to the phone, "Yes, I'm still here. I just had to ask Dynah something." _"Dynah rooms with you?!?" _"Only on the weekends. She has a bible study group for Young mothers down here and I get to see her three days of my week." _"Oh, well. I'll see you when we come down next month. I'm really glad that you're so happy man. I just never would have guessed it would be Dynah."_ "I knew it all along. I mean she's perfect." Joe turned to wink at me and I shifted Deborah to the other side.

"Bye, buddy." _"See ya Joe."_

Joe stood up and ran his hands through his hair, I walked him to the door and gave him a kiss. Then he left, only to return moments later and grab his backpack. He kissed me again and I texted Anita and told her to come over.


	7. Patricia Guerillo arrives

Patricia Guerillo stepped off the plane and looked around. Her son Joe and his fiancee would be picking her up soon and she was going to be staying with him and his fiancee. And the baby. Patricia hand't held a baby in years, Joe's sister lived even farther away then Joe did and the closest she got to seeing her grandchildren was on Facebook. Patricia walked down the platform and mingled with the crowd, walking past Security, she nodded at the guards. Her husband had wanted to come down with her, but couldn't get the time off work for both this _and_ the wedding.

Patricia saw a group of three and stopped, even if she hadn't recognized Joe, she would have known they were her family. They looked just like a perfect family. Joe stood with his arm wrapped around Dynah, and Patricia remembered meeting her before, if only briefly. Joe was saying something to Dynah which made her laugh, and turned her whole face into a brilliant smile. Strapped to Patricia's son's chest was a baby carrier and the baby was snuggled against Joe. Any doubt that Patricia had about the atonement child swept away when she saw them. She sighed, already feeling at home. Joe noticed her and they waved. Patricia went to greet her family.

"Mom." Joe said giving her a side hug, so as not to disturb the baby. "Hey, Dynah said and gave her another hug." "It's so nice to finally meet you… again. But this time as Joe's fiancee." Patricia said, Dynah smiled. "Mom, this is my babe and her-our baby Deborah Anne Carey." Joe said, shifting the carrier so Patricia could get a better look at her. She was beautiful, her dark hair set off her pretty blue eyes and she had a nice set of long eye lashes. Deborah's plump, red lips began to nurse her thumb and Joe pulled a pacifier out of his pocket and gave it to her. Patricia smiled, it was already a second nature to Joe. "She's beautiful." Patricia whispered. "Thanks." both Joe and Dynah replied, then shared a laugh. Patricia couldn't help but join in.

Joe reached out for her luggage and Patricia gratefully gave it to him. She had packed enough for a month just in case she planned on staying a bit longer and right now she wouldn't mind staying her for forever. "Come on mom, I want to show you our car. Joe got us a nice Volvo convertible. I saw one a while ago and I was so excited when he randomly bought it for me. He insists that dad helped pay for more than half of it. But it's the thought that counts." Dynah wrapped her arm around Joe's waist and they turned to leave. "How many can it seat?" she asked. "Five. We plan on having more kids in the future." Joe answered, winking at his mom over Dynah's head. She grinned back. "I'm so proud of you guys." Patricia said. "You've actually been my hero for a long time." Dynah said. Patricia laughed. "Thanks." she said. "She's being serious mom, I talk about you all of the time which makes her talk about you to everyone that I don't tell." Joe said Patricia laughed.

( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )

Patricia surveyed the place that her son and his fiancee were staying at. It was rather small but nice for a college dorm. There was a subtle difference between Joe and Dynah's room and little things were laying around the rooms that suggested a baby lived there. On Joe's bedside table, there was a pack of wipes and a couple diapers, his bible lay on the bed and a bassinet was next to his bed. In Dynah's room, it was even more clear that she shared it with Deborah because she had a pink dresser in the corner and a crib. There was a box with stuffed animals and toys along side of the crib, a box of diapers and wipes were between the bed and the baby's side of the room.

Patricia walked into the kitchen and noted the diaper genie right next to the garbage can. The remains of last nights dinner were neatly sealed and placed in the refrigerator. Joe had changed from the messy, young, bachelor that left Patricia's house, into a godly young man who was so ready to become a father that he had accepted a young lady and her daughter into his life with open arms. _**Bible Study **_was written on every Friday of the week with a smily face next to it. Joe came in behind her.

"That's when my friends and I babysit Deborah and some other little babies so that Dynah can minister to the young and expectant mothers here." Joe said pointing to the dates on the calendar that she had just been looking at. Patricia smiled "That's very thoughtful of her, most people would just shun them." "Dynah _is_ very thoughtful. It was virtually her idea to invite Ethan and his girl to our wedding and to have Ethan be in the wedding." Joe explained. Patricia smiled to herself, Joe was such a good boy and he was proud of his fiancee and daughter.

"-the time the wedding swings around, we should have it all decided." she heard Joe say. He took one look at her face "Oh I'm sorry. You must be so worn out from your trip all of the way out here. Let me show you to your room so you can go take a nap." He said, walking down the hallway and pointing to her room. He bent and kissed the top of her head. "Thanks so much for coming out here mom." he said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." Patricia smiled. Then she walked into her room and closed the door softly behind her.


	8. Wedding Plans

Dynah pushed the stroller down the sidewalk, as she walked back to the dorm apartment. Her mind was so caught up in everything that she didn't even hear Anita calling out to her, until Deborah cooed and started squirming around in the stroller.

"Dynah, Joe jut called he said that he was trying to get ahold of you, but you weren't answering your phone." Anita told her. Dynah grimaced, "My phone just died right before I left your place and I figured that I'd be good until I got home. Why? What's up?" she asked. Anita smiled and bent down to tickle Deborah's tummy.

In her 'talking-to-the-baby' voice, Anita said, "Joe's momma Patricia got in early this afternoon and instead of calling you or Joe to go pick her up, she just hopped in a cab and drove out here. So he just wanted you not to be surprised, she is sleeping in the little room with the TV, on the couch bed. So be quiet as not to wake her. _And_ I need to walk with both of you back to the apartment. Just in case, you know?" Dynah nodded. "Oh, I know."

"Alright, so we have dress fittings tomorrow, and cake sampling, it's the weekend so both Adam and Joe should be free. We really need to get the other girls together." Anita went on, Dynah smiled, even when she was distracted, Anita knew just what to say. "Yes, we do. I can't wait to see Deborah in her dress!" Dynah exclaimed.

The girls continued walking, "So I've got the bachelorette party planned. The wedding is getting all payed for by your parents and grandmother and by Joe's parents. Like I said earlier, don't worry about planning and scheduling, that's my job. Besides, it'll help me if I ever truly want to be a wedding planner. The church will be decorated the morning of, I've got more than a few willing helping hands. Brady, Joe and I have a surprise for you. Which I have found it's rather hard not to blurt it out to you. The honeymoon is two weeks, of wedded bliss. Deborah will be taken care of by me and breast fed by one of the young, single mothers in our bible study. Don't worry about her, even though it's in your nature. She'll be fine. Then you'll come back and everything will be fantastic, we will all help you move into your house. And that's it you'll start out your brand new life of more wedded bliss." Anita finished, just as they made their way up to the dorms.

"Well, I'll leave you to getting acquainted with your mother-in-law. Have fun! And I'll be here bright and early tomorrow morning. Make sure Patricia is ready to go, alright?" Anita asked, she bent over to unbuckle baby Deborah and kissed her on the cheek. Then she lifted her up and handed her over to Dynah. She kissed Dynah on the forehead and left, turning to wink at her over her shoulder.

Dynah grabbed the baby blanket out of the stroller and wrapped it up around Deborah. She placed the parking brake on the stroller and parked it by the door. Then she lifted her hand up to open the door, lucky for her it was in that moment that Joe opened it. "Hey love, let me take the baby." Deborah turned and reached her hands out to Joe. Who plucked her from Dynah's arms. "I was about to go out and get something for us to have for dinner tonight. Would you girls like to come with me? I haven't seen you all day." The last part came out almost as a plea.

Dynah smiled, she kissed Joe on the lips. "Of course darling, let me get her baby carrier though, I think she's getting tired of the stroller." Dynah hurried past him and went to her room. She picked up the diaper bag and her baby carrier. Strapping it on, Dynah walked out to meet Joe. "Ready?" he asked her. "Mhmm... I love you." she told him.

"I'll always love you." Joe replied.


End file.
